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Fine motor activities are activities that are performed by using small muscle in the hands for tasks such as sewing, braiding hair, moving coins from the palm to the finger tips, and manipulating writing tools. We as adults often take these skills for granted since we perform them naturally, but the development of fine motor skills is a long process that happens gradually from the time babies are born up until 2nd grade (on average).
By the time kids begin school they are expected to have developed enough hand strength and coordination to hold pencils, use scissors, open containers, close buttons and zippers, and begin learning to tie their shoes. Many kids struggle with this and are not quite ready. Parents and teachers are left wondering and searching for how they could help their 5 and 6 year olds develop fine motor skills. And while there is no shortage of suggestions and strategies that you can find online, the truth is that fine motor skill development begins at birth.
In order for kids to be prepared to color with crayons and cut with scissors (fine motor activities) when they begin school, we have to be intentional with their play early on by developing underlying skills such as adequate hand strength, good bilateral coordination (ability to coordinate two hands together), and in hand manipulation skills.
Believe it or not you are preparing your child to write from when you begin tummy time. Tummy time helps build muscles in the neck, back and upper body. Core strength and stability are needed for a child to sit at a table and write.
As toddlers crawl they put weight on their hands and move them from side to side, developing hand arches which enable us to grasp different objects.
When preschoolers use playground equipment such as monkey bars they continue to build upper body and hand strength, a prerequisite for good fine motor control.
It is important to be intentional about fine motor development from the time a baby is born and not when they begin school.
Here are fun ideas that you can use to help develop fine motor skills:
To encourage fine motor development in babies, we first have to look at baby milestones. A baby can transfer objects from one hand to another at about 7 months old, introducing simple toys like Ring Links can be a good way promote this skill. Start with a few connected links to make it easier and then decrease their amount as your baby perfects this skill. At around 10 months old your baby should have what is called the pincer grasp. A pincer grasp is what allows us to pick up small objects like cheerios and beads using the thumb and index fingers. To encourage the pincer grasp try playing with pop blocks, pealing stickers, and pulling out inset puzzles with knobs (all with supervision of course).
Around 12 months, your toddler should be able to point to objects and turn pages in a board book. Take this time to learn new vocabulary by pointing at picture books, but don’t stop there. Point to real life objects outside, pop bubbles with the index finger, and try fun fidget toys like the Dimpl. To prepare your child for using the tripod grasp (correct pencil grasp) in a few years, introduce pegboard toys to build strength in those finger muscles.
Remember to include toys that require pushing and pulling to strengthen the hands and fingers. Instead of choosing blocks that easily fall apart, try soft rubber blocks and magnetic building sets which offer some resistance. Putty, play dough, and even finger paint can help prepare your child for the complex task of writing with a pencil by the time they start school.
There are also many games for preschoolers that involve tweezers. That is intentionally done so that kids have the opportunity to strengthen their thumb, index and middle fingers as they get used to holding objects with that side of the hand. I personally love the tweezer line by Educational Insights.
Preschoolers should have the opportunity to play outdoors, use playground equipment or indoor gyms. It doesn’t have to be fancy. You can be creative and build awesome obstacle courses out of pillows. The idea is that having strong gross motor skills (those that require large muscle groups such as kicking and throwing a ball) will allow for smoother fine motor acquisition.